Chapter 85

Today is the third update.

Day 2.

On the second day, it was more of an inspection than sightseeing.

First, we headed to the port.

"Our Lezado mainly serves as a base for transporting salt from the Adelnia Peninsula and wheat and olives harvested from Lezado's farmlands to the Kirisia mainland. All the goods here are gathered in Claris, and two-thirds of them are exported to the Persian Empire. Recently, we've also been making a profit from paper."

The councilor explained with a smile.

I could tell he was trying to gauge my mood at key points.

I suddenly thought that in a monarchy, a single change in the king's mood can drastically alter foreign policy, so it's quite a challenge.

On the other hand, if you can provoke them, you can build a good relationship.

"Do the ships that dock at this port belong only to Claris?"

"…No, ships from city-states that are part of the Western Alliance, which has an alliance with Claris, often use this port. Ships from Alt and Telbay sometimes stop by, either for resupply or due to shipwrecks. Occasionally, Persian or Pheonia ships also dock here."

Hmm, they're not so hostile that they would disrupt trade.

It seems they export a considerable amount of salt and agricultural products to the Persian Empire.

The economic ties are quite strong.

Suddenly, a group of naked men caught my eye.

All of them were in shackles. They were slaves.

"Where do those slaves come from?"

"Those… are probably from Gaul. There are also colonial cities in Gaul."

Looking around, I saw slaves here and there.

While there are a fair number of slaves in King Rosais' country, the ratio is not as high. Our country is mainly composed of independent farmers.

Since Lezado doesn't have any mines, they probably use the slaves on farms or to row ships.

Ethnically, there are a lot of white people.

When I think of slaves, I usually imagine black people, but I didn't see any black slaves. There were merchants, though.

"By the way, I want to purchase a few ships."

"Ships? With all due respect… King Rosais' country doesn't have a sea, right?"

It doesn't. But there are other uses besides the sea.

"I want to use them on rivers. Our country has many rivers. I understand that ships used on the sea and those used on rivers are different, but… don't you have any? Even in Lezado?"

When I said this somewhat provocatively, the councilor responded with a slightly defensive tone.

"We do. We use water transport in the mainland as well. How many would you like?"

"Let's see… about fifty for now. I want to test them. Also, I want to hire shipwrights for repairs when needed."

When I said this, the councilor promised to recruit them.

For now, I need to secure the workforce, secure the workforce.

"Next, you said you wanted to see a farm, right?"

"Yes, please."

---

Einz was observing the new king, with whom he had a long-standing relationship.

He listened to the councilor's explanations with great interest.

Einz felt a positive sentiment towards this young man, Almus.

After all, he had paid back the debt, including twenty-five years of interest.

It was a shock.

At first, Einz thought Almus was interested in Kirisian culture.

Many influential people in Adelnia are fond of Kirisian culture.

In the austere and, to put it bluntly, poor Adelnia culture, the luxurious and delicate Kirisian culture is very appealing.

So Einz had prepared sculptures, paintings, and jewelry, expecting Almus to be interested in them.

However, this young man showed no interest in such things and instead looked at ships, farmlands, and roads with great interest.

Einz was surprised.

Einz is not particularly fond of agriculture.

This is true in any country in the West. In Lezado and Claris, there are two factions: the coastal party, which emphasizes trade, and the plain party, which emphasizes agriculture.

Naturally, Einz is part of the coastal party.

From Einz's perspective, it was unclear why Almus was so eager to learn about agriculture.

Moreover, Almus always insisted on hiring Kirisians in those fields.

Well, since Lezado doesn't restrict the movement of people, it's not a problem if craftsmen go to King Rosais' country on their own.

Unlike iron weapons, which are important military secrets, roads and farmlands can't be sold.

"Isn't this the foaming fruit from the bath?"

Almus exclaimed excitedly.

Einz hurried over to Almus.

"This is the Salpo fruit."

"Salpo?"

Almus asked Einz.

"It's used for washing. It's popular in Kirisia because it makes your hair and skin smooth. Do you like it?"

"Yes, I want it. Actually, I want the trees and the experts who manage them."

Almus pressed Einz insistently.

Einz was a bit puzzled. Is it really that important to him?

"Well… how about we negotiate? There are some people who specialize in growing Salpo. If we offer them land, they might be willing to move…"

"Please, introduce me to them."

Almus firmly shook Einz's hand.

"By the way, can you also give me those sponges?"

"Sponges? Sure, I'll prepare them as a gift."

They are expensive, but if it can buy the favor of a king, it's a small price to pay.

---

"An impressive number of books."

"Thank you for the compliment. We have thirty thousand volumes in Lezado, which is one of the largest collections in the Adelnia Peninsula."

I looked around the library.

Most of the books are made of papyrus. I didn't see any paper from our country. It would be a lot of work to copy them.

"By the way, where is the largest library in the world?"

"…I believe the Imperial Library in Jamshid, Persia, has the largest collection with 250,000 volumes. The largest in Kirisia is the National Library of Claris with 100,000 volumes."

I remember the Library of Alexandria had about 700,000 volumes.

Considering that, the Persian library is quite large.

"I want a library like this in my country. By the way… how much would it cost to copy a book?"

"Are you asking about the labor costs?"

From what I heard, it seems there is no concept of copyright.

Books are written to spread ideas, so copying is actually encouraged.

The cost is for the paper and the labor for copying. It's quite expensive, though.

"Let's see. I'll consider it when the country stabilizes. Is that okay?"

"Yes, anytime."

The councilor answered with a smile.

"Well, let's head to the temple next. Hey, Tera, are you coming?"

"Hmm… go ahead. I'll catch up later."

Tera was completely absorbed in the books. There's no helping it.

"Let's leave her and move on to the next place, then."

"Is that alright?"

"We'll be here all day if we wait for her."

I said this with a hint of a joke.

---

Yuria was enthusiastically inspecting the temple and having a heated discussion with the high priest.

Unfortunately, I'm not that interested in religion.

So I was just standing around, bored.

"How is religion organized in Kirisia?"

"In our country, religion is organized and kept as separate from politics as possible. The main deity in Claris is the god of commerce and gold, so the priests are diligent in making money. Well, it's a business under the guise of donations."

Hmm… for the people of Claris, donations are a business.

Is corruption not a problem?

It seems they are quite open about it.

Polytheism is often quite relaxed, but from what I heard, Claris is more than relaxed; it's quite dirty.

While I was talking with Einz, Yuria returned.

Behind her were several priests carrying golden statues.

"Hey, Almus. They said they'll give us a spirit if we donate ten gold coins."

"Is that golden statue a god? Well, ten gold coins is fine."

I don't think a golden statue will improve my finances, but it's all in the mind.

Compared to the huge Buddha statue built by Emperor Shomu, it's a very reasonable price.

Still, the spirit is quite cheap. But it's religion, after all.

If necessary, I can just make a wooden one.

"What's with that strange golden color?"

Tera muttered.

When did she get here?

"I just got back. They said they'd give me this."

In her hand were several sheets of papyrus.

Did she throw a tantrum, or did they feel sorry for the stubborn Tera…?

---

"Don't wander off, okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm not a child."

I told Einz, who sighed.

Shopping was allowed under the supervision and protection of several councilors, under the pretext of inspecting the market.

They are accommodating my desire to keep my identity hidden.

"Still, the roads are wide."

"Well, they have to be wide enough for carriages to pass, right?"

The road is divided into a road for vehicles and a pedestrian path, and I'm walking on the pedestrian path.

Several carriages are passing on the vehicle road.

There are also drainage ditches on the pedestrian path.

It seems to be designed so that rainwater doesn't accumulate. Good, I'll recruit the road engineers too.

"Still, there are so many things… what's this?"

I found a familiar green sphere.

This is…

"Is this a melon?"

"Melons are also grown here. I want to grow them in my country too."

I love sweet melons.

"Melons aren't sweet. They're slightly sweeter than cucumbers, though."

Is that so?

But I remember melons and watermelons are vegetables.

Since they're in the same family, it's not strange if the primitive varieties have a similar taste.

But with selective breeding, they can become muskmelons.

I want to develop muskmelons before I die. Is that possible?

We found a precious metal shop along the way.

It was a solid store, and inside stood what looked like combat slaves with weapons.

They looked scary and had impressive muscles.

Just their presence serves as a security measure.

"Since we're here, do you two want anything?"

Both of their ring fingers had golden rings.

These are more of a symbol of being a married woman or an adult woman than an engagement ring.

These rings also serve as a seal.

In a sense, they are proof of becoming a family.

Incidentally, I have two rings on my ring finger. It's obvious I'm a scoundrel.

Anyway, they didn't have what would be equivalent to engagement or wedding rings in Japan.

They weren't asked for them, and there was no such custom in the Adelnia Peninsula.

But since it's a good opportunity, and I can now afford to buy a hundred or two hundred rings.

"Then I'll take this."

Tera picked up a hair ornament with a ruby.

"Hmm, a hair ornament… it's eye-catching and nice. I'll take this one."

Yuria picked up a hair ornament with an emerald.

"Got it. Then these two and… let's get these too."

I picked up two pearl earrings and handed them to the clerk along with the hair ornaments.

I asked the guards, Ron and Gram.

"Do you two not want to buy anything? For Soyon and Lulu?"

They shook their heads.

"We've already ordered wedding gifts. Custom-made."

"Also, Rozward might get angry."

It's true that it would be a bit unfair to Rozward, who is waiting at home.

Wait, when is their wedding?

"We're thinking of having it soon now that things have settled down."

Ron answered.

"Got it. Make sure to invite me."

I need to get them a wedding gift.

Maybe I'll order something in secret. Custom-made.

---

After dinner and a bath, the day was drawing to a close.

I, Yuria, Tera, Ial, Bartholomew, Ron, and Gram gathered in the room.

"Let's summarize the strategy for tomorrow's diplomatic negotiations."

Previously, updates were made every two days, but I'm going to try changing the update method.

I'll aim to post two or three episodes every three to five days.

This might make the pace feel faster.

This is just an experiment, so there's a possibility I might revert to the original method.